Protective glove system

ABSTRACT

The present invention relates to a protective system that can be used in the record management industry. The protective system includes a root portion, covering portions, and gripping portions. The root portion can receive the palm of the user, the covering portions can receive the fingers of the user, and the gripping portions are carried by the covering portions and/or the root portion and help the user grip different items. The gripping portions can be made of various materials, including rubber.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 61/365,806, entitled “Protective Glove System,”filed on 20 Jul. 2010, which is hereby incorporated by reference as iffully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND

Various aspects of the present invention relate to personal protectivesystems and, more particularly, to a protective glove system for aperson's hands, wrists, and arms.

A variety of occupations, hobbies, and activities require handling largeamounts of files, folders, paper documents, and the like (hereafter“filing materials”). Frequently, the filing materials have thin, sharpedges that are capable of cutting skin. Further, these same filingmaterials can be made of moisture-absorbent material, which can dry-outskin during repeated or prolonged contact. Frequent handling of filingmaterials can lead to cutting, scratching, bruising, and drying of thehands, wrists, and arms. These injuries are particularly likely duringfiling and sorting through filing materials in tight spaces, such as onshelves and in cabinets. Often times, cutting, scratching, bruising, anddrying can lead to bleeding, which can cause blood to be left on thefiling materials, and can facilitate the transfer of germs and disease.Furthermore, the injuries can lead to discomfort, which can cause theinjured person to lose the ability to effectively and efficiently handlethe filing materials.

Other problems that can arise when handling large amounts of filingmaterials are slipping and mishandling of the same. When many items arehandled on a daily basis, the probability that at least one of the itemswill be mishandled or will slip out of the handler's grip increases. Inthe case of filing materials, slipping or mishandling can lead todropping important items, which can lead to the various filingmaterials, or their contents, being spread across the floor. This cancause disorganization and disarrangement of important filing materials.

Yet another problem that may arise when handling filing materials isdifficulty in flipping through pages, since multi-page documents oftenstick together. Frequent separation of pages can lead to prolongedcontact with the documents, which can lead to drying, scratching, orcutting, as described above.

Occupations that require handling large amounts of filing materialsinclude those in the records management industry, such as recordsmanagement professionals. Therefore, in the records management industry,as well as in other industries, there is a need for the presentinvention.

SUMMARY

Briefly described, aspects of the present invention comprise aprotective system, such as a protective glove system that can be used toprotect a user's hands, wrists, and arms. The protective glove systemprovides a novel and effective apparatus for handling and grippingfiles, folders, paper documents, and the like, while protecting theuser's hands.

The protective system comprises a root portion, a plurality of coveringportions extending from the root portion, and gripping portions carriedby the covering portions and/or the root portion.

In some exemplary embodiments, the root portion is adapted to receivethe palm of a user's hand, one or more of the covering portions areadapted to receive fingers of the user's hand, and one covering portionis adapted to receive the user's thumb. In these embodiments, a hand canbe inserted into the protective system, and the root portion, thecovering portions, and the gripping portions can help protect the handwhile also helping to grip filing materials.

In exemplary embodiments, the gripping portions are carried by thesections of the covering portions that cover the distal phalanx of aninserted finger or thumb. This location of the gripping portions canprevent a decrease in the dexterity of a person using the protectivesystem because the gripping portions do not cover any interphalangealcreases of the hand, and thus do not prevent bending of the fingers.Moreover, because the distal phalanxes of the fingers are the sectionsmost commonly used while gripping many items, gripping ability is notsignificantly decreased.

In some embodiments, there are five covering portions extending from theroot portion, and each covering portion is adapted to receive one of theuser's thumb, index finger, middle finger, ring finger, or baby finger.In an exemplary embodiment, gripping portions are carried by all five ofthe covering portions, and the ability to grip filing materials is thusincreased due to the addition of more gripping portions.

In other exemplary embodiments, gripping portions are carried by onlyone, two, three, or four covering portions. In these embodiments, theability to grip documents may be reduced, but the weight of theprotective glove system and the cost of manufacturing may be lower thanin other embodiments due to the presence of less gripping portions.

Additionally, having gripping portions on all of the covering portionsmay not always be necessary because, during some document managementactivities, gripping with all the fingers may not be required.Specifically, gripping with the ring finger and the baby finger may notalways be needed, so an embodiment with gripping portions carried bythree or less of the covering portions may sometimes be sufficient toaccomplish a task.

In some embodiments, less than five covering portions may extend fromthe root portion. In these embodiments, when the root portion receivesthe palm of a user's hand, and when the covering portions receive thefingers of the user, there will be fingers of the user that are notdisposed within a covering portion. This is desirable in order to reducethe weight of the system, or when the user is performing tasks that donot risk cuts, scratches, or other injury to certain fingers. Moreover,in some embodiments, the covering portions can be detachably attached tothe root portion, thus allowing the number of covering portionsextending from the root portion to vary.

To increase the ability to grip documents, files, folders, and otherobjects, a plurality of raised portions can extend outwardly from eachof the gripping portions. The raised portions can aid in creatingtraction between the gripping portions and the object that the user ofthe system is gripping. Thus, the raised portions can help prevent auser of the system from dropping items.

Further, in some embodiments, a jacket portion extends from the rootportion in a direction generally opposite the direction in which thecovering portions extend. This jacket portion is adapted to receive thewrist and/or arm of the user, and thus provides protection to the wristand/or arm.

In some embodiments, the protective glove system has a back portion. Theback portion is adapted to receive the back of the user's hand, andprotects the back of the user's hand from cutting, scratching, andbruising.

The gripping portions can be made of many materials, including a varietyof polymers, such as rubber, which can provide good grippingcharacteristics. The root portion and covering portions can be made frommany materials that are resistant to cuts from paper. Additionally, theroot portion and covering portions can be made from materials that, inaddition to or instead of reducing cuts, can provide some cushioning inthe event that the user bumps his/her hand against cabinets, desks,shelves, drawers, or the like. Additionally, the root portion, thecovering portions, the jacket portion, and the back portion can be madefrom porous material. Fabricating these sections from a porous materialwill allow air to flow in and out of the protective system, which canprevent the user from sweating.

In some embodiments, the root portion, the covering portions, the jacketportion, and the back portion are made from thin material, such asmaterial that is less than about one-tenth of an inch (0.1″) thick. Thethinness of these portions of the protective glove system can reduce theweight of the system because less material is used when making thesystem. This light weight can prevent fatigue and can increase ease ofmovement when the system is frequently used. Moreover, the thinness ofthe system can allow the user to have more dexterity because thinmaterial is often more flexible than thick material.

The protective glove system can be made in a variety of sizes. It iswell known that people have various sized hands. Users can, therefore,select the size that best fits their hand and provides the bestprotection and gripping ability.

One method of using the protective glove system is to insert a hand intothe protective glove system. In this way, the root portion receives thepalm of the hand of the user, and the covering portions receive thefingers of the user. Additionally, the jacket portion can receive thewrist and/or arm of the user, and the back portion can receive the backof the hand of the user.

The protective glove system can, in this fashion, be used in filing,shelving, general records management tasks, and other tasks.

Other aspects and features of embodiments of the present invention willbecome readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art uponreviewing the following detailed description in conjunction with theaccompanying figures.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a palm-up view of a protective glove system on a lefthand, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 2 illustrates a palm-up view of the protective glove system on aleft hand, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 3 illustrates a palm-down view of the protective glove system on aleft hand, in accordance with an exemplary embodiment of the presentinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

To facilitate an understanding of embodiments, principles, and featuresof the present invention, they are explained hereinafter with referenceto implementation in an illustrative embodiment. In particular, they aredescribed in the context of being a protective glove system.

Embodiments of the present invention, however, are not limited to use inthe described system. Rather, embodiments of the present invention canbe used when a protective system is desired or necessary. Thus, thesystem described hereinafter as a protective glove system can also findutility as a system for other applications, beyond that of a protectiveglove system, and beyond use in the records management industry.

The components and materials described hereinafter as making up thevarious embodiments are intended to be illustrative and not restrictive.Many suitable components and materials that would perform the same or asimilar function as the components and materials described herein areintended to be embraced within the scope of embodiments of the presentinvention.

Referring now to the figures, wherein like reference numerals representlike parts throughout the views, embodiments of the present inventionwill be described in detail.

FIG. 1 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Aspectsof the protective glove system 100 comprise a root portion 110, aplurality of covering portions 120, and a plurality of gripping portions130. When the protective glove system 100 is in use, the root portion110 can cover and protect the palm of the user's hand, and the coveringportions 120 can cover and protect the fingers and thumb of the user.The gripping portions 130 can help the user grip different items.

In an exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 1, there are five coveringportions 120 extending from the root portion 110. The covering portions120 define a channel adapted to receive one of the user's thumb, indexfinger, middle finger, ring finger, or baby finger. The coveringportions 120 can be substantially cylindrical, and can have one open endin communication with the root portion 110, and one terminal closed endnear the tip of the fingers or thumb. The covering portions 120 can bepermanently attached to the root portion 110, or detachably attached tothe root portion 110. Additionally, each of the covering portions 120can comprise a distal phalanx-covering portion 121 that covers thedistal phalanx of the thumb or finger that is received by thatrespective covering portion 120. The distal phalanx-covering portion 121can be at the terminal closed end of the covering portions 120.

The gripping portions 130 can be carried by the covering portions 120.The gripping portions 130 can comprise a single layer or multiple layersof gripping material on or in the covering portions 130, and can bearranged such that at least one surface of the gripping portions 130 isexposed to the environment outside of the protective system 100. In anembodiment, illustrated in FIG. 1, each of the five covering portions120 carries one gripping portion 130. Further, each gripping portion 130is carried solely by the distal phalanx-covering portion 121 of eachcovering portion 120. The gripping portions 130 can extend outward fromthe covering portions 120, or be integrated into the covering portions120.

The gripping portions 130 can be of a variety of shapes, sizes, andmaterials. The gripping portions 130 can also be carried by the coveringportions 120 in a number of ways, for example but not limited to, beingaffixed with adhesive or being sewn to the covering portions 120. Thegripping portions 130 can also extend outward from the covering portions120 in a variety of lengths, such as a length less than about two-tenthsof an inch (0.2″). When multiple gripping portions 130 are utilized onone protective glove system 100, each gripping portion 130 can be adifferent shape, size, and material, and can extend to differentlengths. The gripping portion 130 can be comprised of a variety ofmaterials, such as polymers (for example rubber).

FIG. 1 also shows raised portions 131 extending outwardly from thegripping portions 130. The raised portions 131 can extend from a singlegripping portion 130, from some gripping portions 130, or from allgripping portions 130. The raised portions 131 can vary in length,shape, size, and material. Additionally, if multiple raised portions 131are utilized on one protective glove system 100, each raised portion 131can be of a different height, shape, size, and material.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment wherein the gripping portions 130 extendoutwardly from the palm-side of the covering portions 120 in a directionaway from the covering portions 120. When the gripping portions 130extend only in this direction, the protective system 100 can be lighterand less expensive because less material can be used to fabricate thegripping portions 130. Moreover, gripping ability is often increased andimproved because a majority of items, while being gripped, will makecontact with the system 100 on the gripping portions 130 because thepalm side of the distal phalanx is the portion of the finger most likelyused to grip items, including documents, files, folders, and the like.

FIG. 1 also shows an embodiment wherein a jacket portion 140 extendsfrom the root portion 110 in a direction generally opposite thedirection in which the covering portions 120 extend. The jacket portion140 defines an aperture and can be a gateway for the hand to the rootportion 110. The jacket portion 140 can be substantially cylindrical,and is adapted to receive the wrist and/or arm of the user and provideprotection to the wrist and/or arm.

FIG. 2 shows another exemplary embodiment of the present invention. Inthis embodiment, only three of the covering portions 120 carry agripping portion 130, specifically, the covering portions 120 adapted toreceive the thumb, index finger, and middle finger carry a grippingportion 130.

FIG. 3 shows a palm-down view of an embodiment the protective glovesystem 100 comprising a back portion 150. The back portion 150 receivesthe back of the user's hand, and can protect the back of the user's handfrom cutting, scratching, bruising, and drying.

In some embodiments, the root portion 110, the covering portions 120,the jacket portion 140, and the back portion 150 are made from thinmaterial, such as material that is less than about one-tenth of an inch(0.1″) thick. The thinness of these portions can reduce the weight ofthe protective glove system 100 because the glove comprises lessmaterial. This light weight can increase ease of movement and preventfatigue. Moreover, the thinness of the material of the system 100 canallow the user to have more dexterity because thin material is oftenmore flexible than thick material.

In some embodiments of the protective glove system 100, the root portion110, the covering portions 120, the jacket portion 140, and the backportion 150 are fabricated from a porous material. Fabricating thesesections from a porous material allows air to flow in and out of theprotective system 100, which can prevent the user from sweating.

Moreover, the present invention can be made in a variety of sizes.Fabricating the protective glove system 100 in a variety of sizes willallow for users of the system 100 to select the size that provides thebest protection and fit.

While the invention has been disclosed in exemplary forms, it will beapparent to those skilled in the art that many modifications, additions,and deletions can be made therein without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention and its equivalents, as set forth in thefollowing claims.

1. A protective system, comprising: a root portion comprising a palmportion; a plurality of covering portions extending from the rootportion, each of the covering portions comprising an open end incommunication with the root portion and an opposing terminal closed end;and a plurality of gripping portions carried by at least one of theplurality of covering portions, the gripping portions being disposedsolely on the terminal closed end of the plurality of covering portions,and the gripping portions extending generally outwardly from thecovering portions.
 2. The protective system of claim 1, wherein aplurality of raised portions extend outwardly from at least one grippingportion.
 3. The protective system of claim 1, wherein the grippingportions are fabricated from a polymer.
 4. The protective system ofclaim 1, wherein the root portion and the covering portions arefabricated from porous material.
 5. The protective system of claim 1,further comprising a back portion, the back portion in communicationwith the root portion generally opposite the palm side of the rootportion.
 6. The protective system of claim 1, further comprising ajacket portion, the jacket portion extending outwardly from the rootportion in a direction generally opposite the direction in which thecovering portions extend.
 7. The protective system of claim 1, whereinthe root portion and covering portions are made of material less thanone-tenth of an inch (0.1″) thick.
 8. A protective system, comprising: aroot portion comprising a palm portion; five covering portions extendingfrom the root portion, each of the covering portions comprising a distalphalanx-covering portion; and five gripping portions carried the fivecovering portions, the gripping portions being disposed solely on thedistal phalanx-covering portions of the covering portions, and thegripping portions extending generally outwardly from the coveringportions.
 9. The protective system of claim 8, wherein a plurality ofraised portions extend outwardly from at least one gripping portion. 10.The protective system of claim 8, wherein the gripping portions arefabricated from a polymer.
 11. The protective system of claim 8, whereinthe root portion and the covering portions are fabricated from porousmaterial.
 12. The protective system of claim 8, further comprising aback portion, the back portion in communication with the root portiongenerally opposite the palm side of the root portion.
 13. The protectivesystem of claim 8, further comprising a jacket portion, the jacketportion extending outwardly from the root portion in a directiongenerally opposite the direction in which the covering portions extend.14. The protective system of claim 8, wherein the root portion andcovering portions are made of material less than one-tenth of an inch(0.1″) thick
 15. A protective system, comprising: a root portion; atleast three covering portions extending from the root portion, each ofthe covering portions comprising a distal phalanx-covering portion; andthree gripping portions carried by the three covering portions, thegripping portions being disposed solely on the distal phalanx-coveringportions of the covering portions, and the gripping portions extendinggenerally outwardly from the covering portions.
 16. The protectivesystem of claim 15, wherein a plurality of raised portions extendoutwardly from at least one gripping portion.
 17. The protective systemof claim 15, wherein the gripping portions are fabricated from apolymer.
 18. The protective system of claim 15, wherein the root portionand the covering portions are fabricated from porous material.
 19. Theprotective system of claim 15, wherein the gripping portions extendoutwardly from the covering portions.
 20. The protective system of claim15, further comprising a jacket portion, the jacket portion extendingoutwardly from the root portion in a direction generally opposite thedirection in which the covering portions extend.